we like to move it, move it.

It's been days and days since our last postage, but we have been busy with a capital 'B'. The boxes are unpacked. The cabinets are stocked. The furniture has found a home. and the house is littered with birds. For the past week, Justin and I have been scurrying to get the house as settled as possible and I must say, we deserve a high-five for our progress. Slow progress. But progress.  So far the foyer, kitchen, dining room, and guest bed&bath are the only rooms worthy of notice completed (sparse, but as completed as its gonna be 'til I walk that stage).

So. Without further ado...

the foyer.

bird love. (BEWARE: I've got it b a d)

the kitchen.

Justin made this lil' pig in junior high woodshop! :-)

our favorite verse.

the dining room.

those little birdies are from a local thrift!

the guest bedroom.

reminds me of dandelions.

and the guest bath.

sheesh...have I heard of an iron? 

The owls are a choice, not a sickness. I promise.

Obviously, since the master bedroom&bath, living room, extra guest room, 1/2 bath and office are not pictured, there is m-u-c-h to be done. There also isn't a stitch of art on the walls (just noticed that, in fact, while posting these pics). And that's pretty much due to my anal nature of shifting and tweaking and stepping back and shifting and tweaking and sleeping on it...yada yada. You get the picture. We're hoping to complete the entire house by Christmas, but balancing school and home for the next 11 weeks or so is going to be tricky. Still, I cannot WAIT for the end result! :-)

eight and a half decades, people!

Maw Maw turned 85 years young yesterday!

And I must say, ain't she as cute as a tiny little eighth note button?

 

Oh, I just L-O-V-E that lil' woman. :-)

WHAT a weekend.

Panama City Beach was a blast and it was fast. 
On Saturday, we...

sopped up some sun...

were kids again for about an hour...

ate a deliciously malicious dinner...

and went alittle crazy over putt-putt...

On Sunday, we reluctantly rolled out of bed and drove back to reality...

And today, we signed and signed and signed our lives away, becoming proud homeowners of 4593 Hermosa Road, Crestview, FL!

fun and exciting stuff right?!

oh, for the love of cardboard.

one last hoorah.

The bad news: It was a no-go for closing on the house this week. *boo*
Monday will be our official closing date and man, is it gonna be a crazy day. (final walk thru + signing stacks of paperwork + moving a billion boxes + driving 3 hrs back to LA + attending a memorial service = whoa.)

The good news: Justin and I are taking a micro-mini vacation!

Last night, in the spur of the moment, Justin and I decided we needed to get away for just a day (or two). Justin has been super slightly stressed lately with work and the move and such, and we are about to be separated for the majority of the next 12 weeks, so why not grab some 'us' time when we can?

So we are currently in Panama City Beach, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away, lounging in a Marriott hotel room (thank you Lockheed for those reward points!) without any real plans other than keeping our conversations work/move/school free. Maybe breakfast in bed...a dip in the pool...a stroll to the spa (yes, please!)...a nice dinner on the beach. Who knows? Two days might seem like a silly amount of time to try to reboot, but it sure is worth a try!

snoozing already...still fully dressed...football on tv...yeah, he needs this.

120 days and counting...

I think I can, I think I can…
I’ve officially started my final semester of Nursing school and let me tell you, it feels so G O O D. Tuesday was my Senior II orientation and other than the insane amount of paperwork that is required for graduation, this semester seems like it's gonna be a breeze…easy peasy…..no problemo.

Juuust kidding.

This semester is going to be cra-zay. The school work alone might prove to be do-able but my looming preceptorship (flying solo on the floor for the first time EVER) has me chewing my nails, shaking in my tennies, and praying to the Lord in Heaven above that I will not make an absolute fool of myself. I know, I know. After 3 years of cramming preparing for this very moment, I should be little Miss Know-what-I'm-doing.  But reading about it, even practicing in a simulation lab (ugh...those plastic arms), is totally different than taking the well being of a living, breathing, 'ready to tell you when you're wrong' human being into my amateur hands. So faith, I must have. And Phillipians 4:13 shall be my perpetual mantra.

To add to the craziness, I will be a vagabond of sorts, living here and there because my homebase will obviously be in Florida. I am fortunate enough to have parents and friends that are willing to take in a stray (thank you Mom & Dad and Andi!). Still, I'm hoping the next 12 weeks will come and go in a blink. If so, maybe I won't become completely discombobulated from living out of suitcases. Again.

As for other non-school related news, Justin and I are still patiently awaiting the email/text/phone call from our bank informing us that we can close on the new house. *woot, woot!* We would love to hear the good news by tomorrow, but the likelihood of that happening is rather unlikely. Still, we are hopeful.

On a solemn side note...

We were also sadly informed today that Justin's great Aunt Louise passed away last night.  She was dearly loved and will be so very missed by family and friends.    

just...empty.

I'm typing this with eyes brimming, nose sniffling.
Melodramatic, I know. But that's just how I feel.

Today, our life in Louisiana was packed neatly into boxes and taken away. I've known this day was coming for months now, but what I was unprepared for was the overwhelming feeling of emptiness. The echoes of the empty house reverberate sadly as a sign of change and the loss of familiarity.  Even more bothering is the pending disconnect from everyone we hold near and dear...both of our families, all of our closest of friends. While I know for a certain fact that we will cling, cope, and eventually settle, the rawness of this moment has captured me. I've lost my jovial mojo, per se.

Okay.

Optimism, people. I need a heavy dose of it!

We are truly blessed with the life, and all its twists, that has been given to us.  We're happy! We're healthy! We're in love! And while change is intimidating, it's also inevitable.

Tonight I heard a simply true proverb:
"If the road on which you're traveling has no speed bumps, its probably a dead end.  Speed bumps are challenges and life should be full of them."

So, accepting that as truth, I need to quit my wallowing (5 more minutes, please?), show alittle faith, and get excited about flooring it over this speed bump!

geek or chic?

Oh, how I am terrible at this posting thing.  It's been a few days and there hasn't been any "post worthy" events, so here is a feeble attempt to write something interesting. (beware of cheesy randomness. *snicker, snicker*)

My current fashion fancy is the trend of geek-chic, largely overstated eyewear.  They're retro, they're large (great for someone with a big jelly head like me) and they make a fun, fashionable statement. So, for this year's annual (redundant?...idk) eye exam, with the help of a certain lady who writes this blog, I decided to embrace my inner nerdiness, so-to-speak, with a pair of large, black, plastic frames.

Ta dah!

They're so me, right?!

(Okay, so in my attempt to take a more 'artsy' photo rather than just staring straight into the camera, I look pretty much..well...like a nerd. But that is beside the point, people.)

Now, to be completely honest, the very first day I wore my cheeky new frames, I received a surprisingly negative review from some crummy opinionated strangers....something about being akin to their grampy.  But I will not dwell on their silliness. No, instead I will wear them with the pride of Lois Lane. And we all know just who had the hots for her geek chic-y-ness.

So, here's to embracing a quirky trend....and loving the end result. :-) 

Friday, August 5th: UPDATE! UPDATE!

I was just informed that I unknowingly purchased the eyewear of a Mr. Justin Timberlake. Now, knowing that I occasionally have some crazy dreams about him, I think it's kinda destiny ironic. ha!